We’re building a new house, and inshallah, it will be ready in September. According to the builders floorplan, there is a study/den with French doors and a formal dining room that leads into a butlers pantry which leads into the kitchen. The kitchen has a humongous granite island that seperates it from the family room, so it is a “great room” concept, and there is a seperate eating nook in the kitchen as well. I am just wondering if I should make the formal dining room a formal living room instead, and keep the den/study as a study only, with a sleeper sofa for when my MIL comes since she cannot climb stairs.
Most of our get togethers/family dawats do end up eventually with men seated elsewhere and women in the main kitchen/family room, so I do want a proper sitting/formal living area, in addition to the family room.
The kitchen’s huge island is perfect for setting out dinner buffet style with chafing dishes, so with the pass through of the butlers pantry it would be easy access to a formal sitting room.
So tell me, how much use does anyone really get out of a seperate, formal dining room?
Re: How many of you actually use the formal dining room?
They are saying we can leave off the French doors of the study and make that a den/formal sitting room, laikin then I will lose the possible sleep space for my MIL, since the actual guest bedroom is upstairs. She doesn’t live with us, and when she is in town she’s mostly at my jaits, but still want to make sure she is comfortable when she’s here. If I don’t keep the study option downstairs, it will mean giving her the master bedroom when she does come over.
So yea, basically looks like I need to decide formal living room vs formal dining room
I have formal sitting with formsl dinning. Its a 7m by 4.5m room and more than half is sitting remaining dinning. Formal dinning is only used in dawats by men.
With family room I have another dinning space for family use. I have open plan kitchen so also have bar stools to use in kitchen.
You can also have one dinning room in the middle to be used bth with formal and family with french doors.
Re: How many of you actually use the formal dining room?
I would go with formal dining room and convert the den into a formal living room. The house would just feel more complete that way. We have a formal dining area but it gets used as often as we have a dawat. It is right across from our formal living room, and the men usually have their dinner at the table and then migrate towards to the formal living room when there done. I personally love formal dining rooms because with the china cabinet and a big boss dining table it gives even ordinary homes a posh feel.
Re: How many of you actually use the formal dining room?
If you have to choose between a formal dining room and a formal living room, then go for the formal living room as yes, men and women do separate at desi dawats. You can use the kitchen counter tops to serve food.
Re: How many of you actually use the formal dining room?
I would go with formal dining room with where it is, and convert the study/den into living room (with accomodations for your mil). Your mil comes very infrequently and for short stays it, but I think you entertain a lot more frequently than that and would make better use of that space.
Is it possible to use den/study space as formal dining, and make current dining space into living room? Or would that not flow?
Re: How many of you actually use the formal dining room?
If you entertain a lot with smaller groups - lunches and dinners types - then a formal dining room is really nice to have (8 seat dining table = 4 couples). It’s a lot of fun having everyone seated together over a meal (send the kids to the kitchen breakfast nook to eat).
But if you do more casual and lots-of-people type events where formal dining seating is less important - then get the formal living room - men like to sit at sofas and guppay laga.
Is there no way to have both a formal living and dining area?
